


Whatever You Like

by shinjiikari



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Camping, F/F, M/M, Other, Trans Character, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-07-08
Updated: 2014-07-08
Packaged: 2018-02-07 15:48:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1904745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinjiikari/pseuds/shinjiikari
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After moving to a new and unfamiliar city with his sister, Eren Jaeger went searching for something to do. Little did he know that by stumbling into the Maria Rose Cafe after a fateful storm, he would find so much more.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Whatever You Like

**Author's Note:**

> OH GOD ive never written fafiction before im so sorry this is going to be a wild ride
> 
> what are summaries idek
> 
> also erens a loser and levis a loser and hanjis the best but also a loser

 “I’m telling you Mikasa, the guy’s a total prick.” Eren Jaeger huffed into his cellphone while he walked out of the run-down apartment building that him and his sister now called home. It wasn't much, but, hey, what could you expect from a college student and a self-proclaimed deadbeat? He had just met with the landlord and wasn't too fond of him - to put it lightly. “You should have seen his hair, too. It was ridiculous. It was like a reverse mullet that was dyed two different colors and neither of them even looked natural. His face looked like a fuckin’ horse’s. Ugh. What a tool.”

“Well, hate to break it to you, but you're going to have to get used to him. We're going to be dealing with him a lot, probably,” came the muffled voice from the receiver. Eren sighed and ran a hand through his somehow constantly messy hair. He had always hated how she was right all the time.

“Whatever. I’m going to look around town, see what there is to do I guess. I'll call you later. Have fun at Annie’s.” With that he hung up, shoved his hands in his pockets, and took off down the street.

It was Mikasa’s idea to move here. They both had been wanting to get away from their family for awhile and Mikasa had frequently visited her friend, Annie, who went to college down here at South Sina University (or something like that, Eren couldn't quite remember). She came across a listing for an open apartment and the rest was history.

Unlike his sister, this was Eren’s first real time in the city so he didn't really know where he was going, opting just to wander aimlessly around town. It was a nice place, lively but not hectic, artsy and trendy but not in a intimidating sort of way. It was on the water, giving it a nice view, had plenty in the way of bars and clubs, but also had quaint mom-and-pop looking restaurants and shops. He liked it well enough so he was glad Mikasa had gotten such a cheap place for them. He could see himself enjoying life there.

After walking about a block down from the apartment building, he came across a bustling cafe. He looked up at the sign above the door which read “Maria Rose Cafe”. _Huh. Well, I have nothing else to do._

He pushed the door open and looked around. It was busy and almost every seat was taken, so he grabbed a lone table by the window. A bulletin board near his table caught his attention. There was nothing out of the ordinary, but he caught sight of a flyer for the very cafe he was in. It advertised some special events they were having at the cafe along with live local music gigs (which he made a mental note to share with Mikasa), but it was what was at the bottom of the flyer that caught his attention. A little slogan of sorts:

MARIA ROSE CAFE

...The perfect place to fall in love!

Eren stifled a laugh at that. Did he somehow just enter into some badly written teenage romance novel? Like, wow.

Still chuckling to himself slightly, he stood up and walked over to the counter to order himself a drink. Once he reached the front of the line he was met with an arguably overly excited barista. Their name tag displayed the name Hanji with a small handwritten note of “they/them pronouns” underneath, which made Eren smile to himself. Armin, his best friend from back home, identified as some sort of nonbinary gender, so Eren was familiar with it. He never really understood, but he followed Armin’s wishes when it came to pronouns - even if they were always changing. He thought it was really nice that the cafe respected that.

“What can get started for ya, sweetheart?” They chirped. Eren, unfamiliar with the place nor a huge coffee connoisseur, ordered the first thing he saw on the menu and, after the barista asked for the name for the order, sent him on his way back to his seat with a “sounds great” and “we'll have that up in a jiff.”

Sitting back down, Eren thought about life before and after moving here. Where he'd lived before this was where he'd been his entire life. Moving away from everything he'd ever known, regardless of the familial circumstances surrounding his and Mikasa’s decision, was exciting, albeit a little scary. He had decided he wanted a change in his life, and he wanted it fast. When he was back home, he wasn't sure where that change was going to come from and so from desperate times came desperate measures...

“-ren. Eeeeeeeeren! Your drink is ready!” The voice from behind the counter interrupted his thoughts, causing him to shoot up from his chair.

Arriving at the counter, he flashed a quick apologetic smile for making them wait. "Thank you.” He hurried back to his seat, sipping his surprisingly bitter mystery drink on the way.

As he sat back down, he looked around the cafe. A breeze filtered in through the open windows, and Eren noticed the wide assortment of people in the shop. Two men in a nearby table were having a quiet, yet heated, argument over which next-gen console was ‘worth it,’ a seemingly grumpy middle-aged business man sat alone hunched over his laptop with at least five empty coffee cups surrounding him, and an awkward looking couple near the back of the store looked as though they might’ve been on their first date.

“...Wish I was a lip reader.” Eren mumbled to himself as he took another sip of his drink. Looking around once more, he took a moment and realized that there were some pretty damn good looking people in there. Eren had known that he was bisexual for as long as he could remember. He'd never bothered hiding it, either. He figured if people didn't accept him for it, at least he accepted himself.

At that moment, he felt a tap on his shoulder, causing him to jump and choke on what little drink he had left in his mouth.

It was the barista, Hanji. They gave a hearty laugh and slapped him on the back a few times, trying to clear his airway for him. “Whoopsy, didn't mean to scare you, kiddo!” They said as they gave him a manic grin. “How is it, though?”

Still trying to stop his coughing fit, Eren managed to sputter out, “‘Scuse me?”

“Your drink, silly! How is it?” Not pausing long enough for Eren to answer, Hanji continued, “Ah! Sorry, my name’s Hanji,” they pointed at their name tag. “I work behind the counter, but you knew that already.” At this, they extended their hand, waiting for Eren to grasp it. He fumbled with his drink, trying to clear his hand, but only managing to make the cap fall off, luckily catching it before any of the liquid could poor out. Hanji laughed again, reaching out to grab both the cup and lid from the boy.

“Here, let me help you with that.” And in one swift motion, they capped it like a pro before they set it down on the table next to him.

Slightly embarrassed because, _I could have done that_ , Eren avoided eye contact. “Thanks. I’m Eren, by the way.”

“Well, duh, you told me that when you ordered! But that’s okay, that’s not why I came over. Y’know, I’ve worked here for a long time and I thought I knew everyone who came around these parts, but you! You’re a new face! I can spot newbies from a mile away! And let me tell you, I just adore meeting new people.” Hanji leaned in a little, as if telling a secret to the burnette. “When you spend as much time in this cafe as I do, a new face is a welcome surprise. So! Eren. Where are you from? Tell me about yourself. Let’s bond.”

Eren was taken aback firstly by how fast they talked, but mainly by how friendly they were right off the bat. Although they seemed like a lot to handle, he already liked Hanji.  _Maybe I'll actually manage to make a friend on my first day here. Go figure._

“I just moved here from Shiganshina with my sister. We’re sharing an apartment not too far from here, actually.”

Eren saw Hanji’s eyes light up from behind their goggle-like glasses. “Oooooo! Exciting! New adventures to be had, new people to meet! Y’know, I have a friend who lives in Shiganshina. She got a job there right after college and just _raves_ about it...” Hanji went off on a tangent for awhile before reining it back in. “I grew up here, though! I have a place just around the corner which makes for an easy commute to and from work, which I'm thankful for. It’s an amazing city, this one! You’re gonna love it! You’ll see. Anyway...” Hanji leaned in close and grabbed Eren’s hand excitedly. “Glad to meet ya, Eren! Don’t be a stranger, ‘kay?” With that, they turned around and headed back behind the counter.

“People sure are friendly around here.” Eren said as he finished off his coffee, gathering up what little belongings he had and headed out of the shop, determined to find places that were worth writing home about.

* * *

 

Of course, as luck would have it, after wandering around the city for what could only have been about 30 minutes, a storm hit. Wind, thunder, rain, the whole shabang.

“Are you serious right now?” Eren asked no one in particular as he looked around for somewhere to take shelter. “Ugh, what the hell.”

Thankfully for Eren, he was still close enough to the cafe that he was able to make it inside before he got too soaked. He looked over to the window where he was earlier in hopes that his previous seat was still open, but his hopes were in vain. Not only was his previous seat taken, but so was every other seat in the cafe.

_Great._

Eren hovered awkwardly by the door, pulling out his phone in hopes of looking as though he had a purpose.

“Hey, Eren!”

 _Oh thank God._ Hanji to the rescue.

“What are you doing here again, you big goof? Plans get cancelled?”

Eren shrugged towards the window. “I wasn’t in the mood for taking a shower in the streets, y’know?”

Hanji, eyes following in the direction of his gesture, looked sympathetic. “Yeesh. Can’t blame you there. But, it’s your lucky day! I just got off work and I was about to go sit with my friend for some lunch before I head out! Join us, it’ll be fun.”

Before Eren could protest, Hanji grabbed and dragged him along with them to a table towards the back of the store. Once they arrived, they proceeded to slap a man heavily on the back, causing him to turn around.

“Ow, what the fuck, four-eyes?” The tastefully dressed man snapped at them, fixing an icy glare on Hanji. His black hair fell in front of his eyes, accentuating his sharp and angular features in all the right ways. Although he was sitting, Eren could tell he had a couple of inches on the guy.

And Eren'd be damned if the man wasn't hot as all hell.

Hanji beamed at who Eren was assuming (and hoping, at this point) was their friend, unphased by his tone. “Levi! Meet Eren!”

The man, Levi apparently, then turned and fixed his glare on Eren, giving him a once over. Eren got the ‘who the hell are you and why the hell do I care’ vibe right off the bat. _What a pair these two make._

Unrelentless, Hanji went on. “Eren just moved here from Shiganshina! Aaaaand since we weren't doing anything in particular, I thought he could join us while he waited for the rain to clear up!”

Levi, softening his glare ever so slightly, said something to the boy he didn’t quite catch, busy ogling his new acquaintance.

Coming to, Eren refocused. “Huh?” He couldn't help mentally berating himself for that. _Nice. Real nice. First spacing out within five minutes of meeting the guy and then that eloquent response. Way to get ‘em, tiger._

Levi sighed. “I said,” he lightly kicked the chair across from him as he spoke, “are you going to sit down or just stand there staring? You'd think you’ve never seen a grown-ass man in a coffee shop before, damn.”

Eren blushed slightly (in a manly way, of course) as he shuffled over to the chair Levi had indicated. Hanji laughed outright at the interaction and slapped their hand onto Levi’s shoulder before turning to face Eren. “Sit down, relax, and I’ll be right back! I just gotta clock out. B-R-B!” And they left.

Oh God, they left.

And he and Levi were staring at each other. In silence

Awkward silence.

Was it hot in here?

...Or was it just Levi?

Oh my God, that was so lame. He was embarrassed for even thinking that. Wow.

Out of desperation, Eren finally tried to strike up a conversation. Clearing his throat and giving a hesitant smile, he started, “So...” Levi looked out a nearby window, obviously bored. “...Star Trek or Star Wars?”

Without so much as a glance toward Eren, Levi responded with, “I haven’t seen either.” Levi looked disinterested in pursuing the conversation further, so they sat in silence until Hanji returned.

“What'd I miss, kids?” They asked in a sing-song voice, taking the seat next to Levi, who was still staring out the window and remaining silent. Eren shifted slightly in his chair and looked towards Hanji, his eyes pleading. Hanji clapped their hands once. “ _Aaaanyway!_ ” They said with a subtle jab with their elbow into Levi’s ribs. “You have to make Eren feel at home, dummy!” To which Levi rolled his eyes, but sat back in his chair, visibly putting effort into not looking like he’d rather be anywhere but their table. Hanji leaned over the table, whispering to Eren, “He’s a shy one, this guy.”

Levi finally spoke up. “Hanji, stop telling the brat lies about me and sit down like a normal person.”

As per Levi’s suggestion, Hanji sat and went on with a story about some customer who ran out of the cafe after ditching their pants in the restroom trashbin, which actually managed to get a smirk - if you could even call it that, it was so slight - out of Levi, much to Eren’s surprise. After that, Eren found himself staring at the man off and on again, hoping to catch another glimpse of the man behind the mask. He had never been one for subtlety.

Eren, tuning out Hanji for awhile (he was sure Levi was doing the same at this point), started thinking about how amazing it was that he'd only met Hanji, what, an hour ago? And yet they were talking as if they'd been friends for years. Their carefree, open, and friendly attitude was really something to be admired. Even in situations like this, Hanji was talking easily with both Eren and Levi. Shifting his gaze between the two, Eren wondered how Hanji and Levi, two completely different people, could be such good friends. It was kinda beautiful, if you thought about it.

“So, are you single, too, Eren?” Hanji’s question brought him back to reality once again.

 _Uhm. How did we get here? Did I miss something interesting?_  Eren shrugged and paused, thinking of how to word his answer so it didn't sound totally pathetic. “I didn’t really want to date someone when I knew I was just going to be moving away. I dunno. The timing was...weird. I guess.” Plus, there weren’t really any takers, but that didn’t need to be said.

“ _Totally!_ ” Came Hanji’s poorly masked overjoyed response. “I was just telling _this guy_ ,” they emphasized their point by shoving their thumb in Levi’s direction, “that I was sick of not having anyone to watch crappy horror movies with! Besides my roommate Petra I guess, but being stuck at home is so boooooring, don’t you agree? Like, I have a whole list of date movies and everything! Ugh, I won’t even get into it, it’s just tragic. Anyway, I was saying that I want to get Mr. Grumpy Gills over here to lighten up a bit,” At this, Hanji turned to face Levi, who was nonchalantly drinking his tea (Eren made note of the strange way he held his cup, too). “Going on a date every now and then wouldn’t kill you, y’know! Gosh.” Turning back to Eren, they puffed out their cheeks like a toddler throwing a tantrum. “He always has his head stuck in a book or is busy with some school thing. He’s so _infuriating!_ ”

Levi audibly sighed and rolled his eyes for the umpteenth time, however this time he actually spoke. “I’m in the middle of my thesis. I don’t have much spare time. You would know that if you ever listened to what I had to say.”

Hanji waves him off. “Yeah, yeah, you have a love affair with your school work, we get it. I’ll have you know, Levi, that when I was in school I still had time for fun! You gotta make time for the essentials, man!”

At this point, Eren had gathered that this was an argument the two had frequently, yet neither of them ever won.

After the bickering subsided, Levi stood up and started to put on his jacket, causing Eren to notice just how short he was. He couldn’t be more than, what? Five-four? Five-three? “I've gotta get going. Later.” Then he was gone, and Eren tried his damndest not to watch him go (but failed miserably).

Hanji took a deep breath and slid over to face Eren. Shaking their head, they muttered something like “That guy...” under their breath. Hanji looked up, a sudden serious air surrounding them. “So. Eren. What do you think about him?”

What kind of a question was that? Was he that obvious? He thought he'd reined in the gay pretty well.

A small (and _manly_ , because Eren hated blushing like a teenage girl god damn it) blush spread over his face as he avoided eye contact at all costs. “I mean. Yeah. Y'know. I suppose he was pretty cute. Well, cute might not be the right word, but, uh. Yeah. Quiet, but cute...?"

Hanji’s eyes widened in a way that almost wasn't human.

It was at that moment that Eren realized he had made a grave mistake.

“WHAT? I WASN'T ASKING ABOUT- YOU THOUGHT I MEANT- _OH MY GOD._ ” Hanji erupted into a fit of laughter and dramatically slammed their hand onto the table, causing half the cafe to turn and watch what was becoming quite the spectacle.

Eren sank down into his seat. “Oh. My god. Shut up. Please. Oh my god. This is embarrassing. Hanji. Hanji, stop laughing. Don’t tell him I said that or I swear to god Hanji-”

Hanji interrupted Eren with more spirited rambling. “Seriously though, Eren, Levi is adorable! Not my type because ew, but really! He’s a bit rough around the edges and kinda crude, but he’s got a heart of gold if I've ever seen one! His attitude can take some getting used to, though. Anyway! I’ll make it my mission to hook. You. Up!” They said, accenting each word with a clap and finishing it off with a wink.

_What have I gotten myself into?_

 

**Author's Note:**

> i really wanted to use the shiny ponyta copypasta when hanji found out that eren thinks levis cute ngl
> 
> follow me on tumblr though???????
> 
> shinjiwiki.tumblr.com


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